Chris Mac of Six60
Music transports us, relocates us and has the ability to redefine us.
As a teenager, I remember music doing that to me significantly-
I remember stealing a Nirvana tape, putting on my walkman, riding my BMX around and being alerted to the idea that music could let you feel a wide range of emotions. I was now self-aware.
I remember discovering punk music through a friend’s dad that had been a part of the Australian movement in the 70’s. I was suddenly allowed to see the faults in authority and I was allowed to be angry and I wanted, somehow, to be a part of making change.
I remember listening to a hip hop crew who focused their efforts on racism and I remember being convinced that something was wrong in the world when skin color was a determining factor in anything. I learned to embrace empathy for other humans.
I remember a local hardcore band screaming about their beliefs and how they struggled to marry their ideals and the reality of the world around them. I felt the same way. I began to actively define myself, rather than stumble into who society wanted me to be.
There are hundreds of stories like this for me. It wasn’t merely the words they were saying, it was the passion behind it, the complete and utter emersion of belief that could only have been portrayed to me through music- the melody, rhythm and words coming together to transform me.
I owe a lot to music…. we all do.